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Wichita DJ, food blogger lands gig on Travel Channel

But lately, Wichita disc jockey Tony Brueski has been spending his weekends dressing like a lobster and dishing about food on national television.

Brueski, the weekday afternoon DJ on KFDI, is also a devoted foodie who maintains a food blog called New Taste Today, found at newtastetoday.com.

His blog — and the made-for-broadcast persona he’s put on display in some homemade foodie videos — recently landed Brueski a gig on a new Travel Channel show called “Destination Showdown,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays. (The Travel Channel is cable Channel 62 on Cox in Wichita.)

Each episode of the slickly edited, fast-paced show focuses on two major U.S. cities, asking experts to comment on which one is superior in local cuisine, lodging and entertainment destinations. Other experts on the show include Samantha Brown, a well-known Travel Channel host.

In the first episode, Boston battled Washington, D.C., and Brueski was among the experts speaking to the quality of eats that each possesses. In one segment, Brueski dresses as a lobster while discussing Boston’s signature dish. I don’t say this easily, but he made a convincing lobster. The guy’s a natural crustacean.

His on-camera charm became apparent to me last year, when I wrote about a creepy video Brueski made about a supposed haunting at Doc’s Steakhouse. It seems that ghosts and garlic salad coexist at the classic Wichita restaurant.

Producers of the Travel Channel show, while looking for commentators, stumbled across Brueski’s blog and videos and approached him about being on the show.

Brueski flew to Washington, D.C., seven or eight times last year to record the show.

The first season, which includes 12 episodes, is all wrapped up, and Brueski says he’s hopeful there will be a second season — and that he’ll be invited back.

He’s also hopeful the gig could open new television doors for him.

“It was exciting,” he said. “And it let me combine my passion for food and entertaining and broadcasting all into one.”

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About Denise Neil

Denise has been an Eagle reporter since 1997. She writes about pop culture on Sundays, reviews restaurants on Fridays and blogs at Dining with Denise. Previously, she worked for the Chattanooga Times and graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Kansas.

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